Absorbent bandage.



No. 810,117. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906. W. R. GREEN.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1904.

UNITED {STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD R. GREEN, OF MUSCATINE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN ABSORBENTV-FIBER COMPANY, or PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

To all whom may concern: V

Be it known that I, WILLARD R. GREEN,.-a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Mu'scatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Absorbent Bandages, of which the following is aspecification.

My present inventlon relates to that class of articles commonly known as absorbent banda es, and has for its object an improve article of this kind adapted to be made at low cost and which will be of an efficient character.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view representing a bandage Fig. 4.

- of course be understood that the article may.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all figures.

In the perspective view Fig-1 I illustrate in a general way a bandage made in accord-' ance with my present improvement. It will be made of such proportions as to width, length, and thickness as may be desired.

The absorbent mass (designated in a general. way by 17 in Figs. 2, 4, and 5) is shown con.

tained and supported in a cover-sheet 12, the ends of which may be folded over and suitably sewed or otherwise attached together for convenience in holding the article in its assembled condition ready for market. In some cases this sheet may consist of paper or of an open-mesh fabric'of light weight. In the present instance the folded edges at the end portions are represented as being secured by some suitable attaching device, as- 25 but it is evident that other meansas, for instance ordinary stitchingmay be em' ployed in lieu .thereof. The absorbent mass 17 is shown covered by a surface sheet 15,

which in practice I prefer to make of open Specification of Letters Patent. a Application filed June10,1904. serial in. 211,926. I

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

bandage I dispose or arrange the absorbent mass 17 in two principal portions 16 and 18.

The upper portlon 16 is represented divided by'a s1 e brace 20 into the upper portion 16 and lower portion 16 In practlce I prefer to make the upper portion 16"of somewhat lesser thickness or-depth than the lower portion 16 A further eature' of the improve- 'ment relates to the flexibility with relation to the bendin of the bandage. This is provided for int c side brace illustrated in detail in Fig. 3 by constructing said brace of a rod or wire folded back and forth transversely in some :manner analogous to that represented insaid figure. When employing .this form of the side brace, I prefer to make it of a small elastic rod or wire of metal. It will be evident from this illustration, it being understood that the rod or wire will be of relatively small size and flexible, that the side brace (by reason of the transverse osition of the parts 31 and the longitudina pov sition of the short arts 22) will be flexible both vertically and aterally-that is, in two pressible,'considered as a whole, in a third direction.that is, transversely of the bandage. In Fig. 2 such a side brace as is illustrated in Fig. 3 is represented as being laid between the two portions 16 and 16 of the upper absorptiv'e'portion 16 of the absorbent mass 17. In some cases the side brace may be located at or very near the upper surface of the absorbent mass. The side brace thus combined with the other members of the bandage o erates to forcibly prevent any considerab e compression or collapse widthwise of the bandage by sidewise pressure thereon, and thus operates to hold the absorbent material in better condition for reeeiv'ing a relatively large amount of fluid. At the same time the side brace operates as a resistant device to prevent accidental discharge or expulsion of the fluid through squeezing the same out of the'absorbent mass. In Figs. 4 and 5 the side brace, here designated by 20, is represented asbeing formed of a perforated,'sheet of material having numerous transverse folds or corrugations, by

which said member is given a high degree of directionsbut will be. relatively non-Comflexibility coupled with a relatively high resistance against the lateral pressure and at the same time is made sufiiciently porous or open for permitting the fluidsto freely pass downward through the side-bracing member into the absorbent material below the side brace.

As a suitable material for the absorbent member 16 I'prefer to employ wood-in the form of thin narrow strands of small size and a kind vvof fiber-like character, this material, being preferably mingled and compacted to'-' gether in such manner as to form spaces of varyingsizes and sha es, the larger of which spaces will serve as istribution or conduction spaces, while the smaller and narrower s aces will constitute retention-spaces. For

1 t e lowermost layer 18, when the member 16 does not constitute the entire absorbent mass,

layeror coating ma I prefer to employ a vegetable fiber such as cotton or linen, this being intended more especially to absorb and retain the most fiuid portions of the substance to be gathered.

For preventing fluids from saturating or escaping through the cover-sheet this is shown provided on the inner side thereof with a protective layer or lining. (Indicated by the heavy line 26.) In practice this protective consist of a suitable waterproofing materia 'applied to the inner side .of the cover-sheet, (or in some cases to the outer sidethereofi) or it may consist of a sheet of some other kind of material of suitable character laidbetween the cover-sheet and the absorbent mass 17. A soft thin (paptir t suitably treated ma be so emplo e will be understood t at the lower ayer -18 may in some cases be omitted; also, that sidebracing members of a specific kind, form, and

material other than and varying from those specifically illustrated herein may be emp oyed within the'scope of my present improvements. J

The side-brace member, whether this be constructed in one or another of the particularforms indicated, preferably comprises a plurality or series of side-brace elements, which are located at successive points longitudinally of the bandage and are disposed in the absorptive mass, preferably near the upper side t ereof, with their lengthwise dimension located transversely of the bandage for resisting lateral compression of the bandage gy ressure applied along the sides thereof.

ber 2( )are preferably connected together I in such a manner, as already described, for

combining a series of such side-brace elements into a single component member of the bandage. Preferably, also, such connection between the successive members of the series of side-brace elements should be of a flexible character for permitting the bending of the bandage as a'whole. In the form of I side-brace elements-as,- for instance, the rods or transverse members 31 of the member 20 or the corrugations of the memside-brace'member particularly indicated in Figs. 4 andv5 the corrugated portions may beconsidered as side-brace elements, these preferably being flexibly joined together, as already indicated, in such manner as to form a continuous member of considerable length in a direction lon itudinally of the bandage.

Havingv thus escribed my invention, I 1

-1. In an absorbent bandage, the combina tion with a mass of absorptive stock, of a side-bracing member having transverse folded ortions located within the mass and flexible for ermitting the free bending of the bandage w 'le resisting the collapse thereof by sidewise ressure. a

2. In an a sorbent bandage, the combination with a mass of absorbent materiahof a side-bracing member so located as to resist thesidewise com ression of the bandage.

3. In an absor ent bandage, the combination with a cover-sheet, of a mass of absorptive material therein, consisting of wood 1n the form of mingled strands disposed in upper and lower portions, and a flexible sideracing member located between said portions.

4. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with a relatively compressible absorpt1ve mass, of one or more relatively non-com ressible side-brace elements located in the andage for resisting lateral compression thereo 5. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with a relatively compressible mass of absorptive material, of a plurality of sidebrace elements disposed with their lengthwise dimension located transversely of the bandage, and having flexible connection for comblning a series of the side-brace elements into .a sin le member.

ed to readily yield in certain directions and to permit the passage of fluid therethrough.

8. An absorbent bandage made up of a mass of absorbent material, a corrugated bracing member located in said bandage, and

a cover-sheet. 9. An absorbent comprising a mass of wood in the form of ribbon mingled together and p'romiscuously arranged forming capillary s aces and chamber-s aces disposed throug out the mass, an inc osure for sa1d mass for retaining the same within bounds,

and means for distending said inclosure for Signed at Nos. 9 to 15 Murra street, New pfievelilting thF ciompression 01:1 saiclll mass'and York, N. Y., this 25th day of a 1904. tecoaseotesaceswit'ntesame.

10. A1 1 absorbent? bandage made up of a WILLARD GREEN 5 body of absorbent material, a corrugated and Witnesses:

perforated member located in said bandage, FRED. J. DOLE, and means for supporting the same. JOHN O. SEIFERT. 

